Paper feeding device



y 1934- c. EICHENAUER 1,957,203

PAPER FEEDING DEVICE Filed Oct. 6, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet l g ZIINZENTOR- BY WWW/04,,

ATTORNEY- y 1, 93 c. EICHENAUER 1,957,203

PAPER FEEDING DEvI'cE Filed Oct. 6, l93l 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 a? 2 NZENTOR- ATTORN EY- Patented May 1, 1934 UNITED STATES PAPER FEEDING DEVICE Conrad Eichenauer,

Leuna,

near Merseburg Saale, Germany, assignor, by mesne assignments, to International Business Machines Corporation, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New York Application October 6, 1931, Serial No. 567,157 In Germany October 20, 1930 3 Claims.

The present invention is directed to improvements in tabulating machines and more particularly to improvements in the tabulating machine shown and described in the patent to G. F. Daly et al., No. 1,762,145, issued June 10, 1930.

It has for one of its objects the provision of a novel paper spacing device for advancing severalrecord sheets through the printing position of the machine with a difierent increment of advance for each sheet.

in certain classes of statistical work it is a desideratum to record a series of items as a continuous list and at the same time enter each item upon a separate sheet or form. The continuous list is prepared in the manner usual in tabulating machines while the separate forms are presented to the printing position to receive a printing im pression simultaneously with the continuous list. Between printing impressions the separate forms which are arranged as a continuous record are advanced a sufilcient amount so that the following impression will appear upon the next adjacent form.

Gther objects and advantages will be pointed out in the accompanying specification and claims and shown in the accompanying drawings which show one and what is now considered to be the preferred embodiment of the invention.

Fig. '1 is a side elevation of a tabulating machine showing the driving connections for the paper feeding devices.

Fig. 2 is a detail section through the printing platen showing the arrangement of the guides for the several record sheets.

Fig. 3 is a detail of the normal paper spacing mechanism.

A clear understanding of the, invention will best be had by describing the operation of the paper spacing mechanism of previous machines upon which the present invention is an improvement. In Fig. 1, 10 represents the normal printing platen against which the type carried by type bar 11 are impelled to effect printing. 12 and 13 represent the total print and list shafts respectively which control the operation of "the type bars 11. List shaft 13 carries listing cam 14 which through follower arm 15 rocks a shaft 16 to reciprocate the type bars.

Shaft 16 has fixed thereto an arm 1'7 which is adapted to space platen 10-each time the shaft is rocked. The connections for effecting this spacing are shown in Fig. 3 and comprise a pivoted structure 18 which has link connection 19 to the usual pawl and ratchet mechanism of the platen 10 which is designated generally at 20.

The machine may be set for tabulating conditions, wherein data is separately accumulated from groups of record cards and the result automatically printed upon a change in group classification designation. It is with the printing of such totals of groups that the present invention is particularly concerned and when the machine is so set listing cam 14 will turn one revolution (during the first card cycle). During this revolution shaft 16 willbe rocked and the platen 10 advanced one step thus feeding the record strip 21 one line space. Structure 18 thereupon becomes latched in the position shown in Fig. 3 where it remains held by a latch 22. During the ensuing operations of the machine, while data is being accumulated, cam 14 is locked against operation and to further spacing or printing takesplace until a total is taken. When the total is to be printed shaft 12 is rotated for one revoluticn during which a cam 23 rocks shaft 16 but no .movement of structure 18 takes place since it is latched in its extreme position. Printing takes place during this revolution of shaft 12 and near the end of the revolution, after shaft 16 has returned to its normal position, a pin 24 carried by a gear on shaft 12 makes contact with a lever 35 and causes it to rock about its pivot 16 in a clockwise direction.

As it nears the end of its movement its upward projection acts against latch 22 releasing structure l8 and allowing it and attached members, including link 19 to resume normal position. A revolution of shaft 13 follows the total printing operation during which shaft 16 is rocked to space record strip 21 as the type bars 11 are elevated.

Having now described briefly the construction and operation of the normal paper spacing mechanism, the improvements of the present invention will be described.

In Fig. 2 a second reel of paper 25 is provided which is threaded around printing platen 10, and feed roll 26 to a take-up roll 27. A pair of inking ribbons 28 is provided, one on either side of record strip 25 as shown, which may be advanced in any suitable manner. Feed roll 26 is driven from total print shaft 12 by the gearing designated generally 29 and including an intermittent gear 31 -(see Fig. 1) and the ratio is such that for the second half-revolution of shaft 12 feed roll 26 will be rotated to advance sheet 25 a predetermined dis-.

tance. As more fully explained in the patent referred to, gear 31 is secured to shaft 12 and is adapted to drive the usual gear 29a carried on shaft 40 during the second half of the rotation of shaft 12. For the purpose of the present invention, gear 29a is employed to drive roll 26 during this same period through gearing 29 although other forms of driving connection such as belt and pulley might be as readily used. It is obvious that by selecting the proper gear ratio between feed roll 26 and shaft 12 that any desired sheet advance may readily be obtained. A sprocket chain 30 connects feed roll 26 and take-up roll 2'7, the latter being frictionally driven.

The general operation of the device is as follows: A plurality of groups of record cards are placed in the machine and the machine arranged to tabulate the data of each group and print the totals th reof. During the first cycle list shaft 13 operates to advance record strip 21 one linespace which will present the proper entry position to the printing line. As pointed out above the line spacing mechanism will then be latched against operation.

Upon a change in the group classification designation a total cycle takes place during which shaft 12 rotates and a total is printed during the first half of its rotation. During the second halfrevolution feed roll 26 is driven to advance record strip 25 the necessary increment, and the line spacing mechanism is unlatched so that on the following revolution of shaft 13 the sheet 21 may be line spaced. Both record strips will then be in position to receive the next total, in the case of sheet 21, on the next adjacent line; and in the case of sheet 25 at a comparatively greater distance from the preceding entry.

While there has been shown and described and pointed out the fundamental novel features of the invention as applied to a single modification, it will be understood that various omissions and substitutions and changes in the form and details of the device illustrated and in its operation may be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention. It is the intention therefore to be limited only as indicated by the scope of the following claims:

1. In a machine of the class described having means for printing upon manifolded record sheets, means for advancing one of said sheets; said means being locked against further operation after each advancing operation, means for advancing another of said sheets and means controlled thereby for unlocking said first named sheet advancing means.

2. In a machine of the class described having listing mechanism and total printing mechanism,

means for presenting a plurality of superimposed records to printing position, means controlled by said listing mechanism for causing a line spacing operation of one of said records only for each operation of said listing mechanism and means controlled by said total printing mechanism for causing a spacing operation of another of said records only for each operation of said total printing mechanism.

3. In a machine of the class described having listing mechanism and total printing mechanism operable in alternating sequence, means for presenting a pair of superimposed records to printing position, means for advancing one of said records only for each listing operation and means for advancing the other of said records for each operation of said total printing mechanism whereby each record will receive a single advance movement for each succession of listing and total printing operations.

CONRAD EICHENAUER. 

